//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: A Tale of Two Worlds // by Shadow_8472 //------------------------------// The next day starts unremarkably. Starlight comes over in the late morning to summon Windy and Applesauce back to the castle. A slightly offbeat Twilight answers the door before anyone even knocks. “I think I have a theory on what happened.” A purple magic field teleports the group to their seats at the table in the castle library. “Applesauce, you said you don't remember seeing or hearing anything on your way to the clubhouse, right?” Applesauce listens intently. Twilight pulls out the chalkboard to illustrate as she talks, "The best fitting explanation I could find was in a book on old mares’ tales. According to one story, something like this happened long ago. One by one, ponies were disappearing without a trace; nopony knew what was going on until an interdimensional rift became visible. I believe you have traveled through such a rift without even realizing it." "So, all I gotta do is go backwards along my path and I can go home?" Spike yawns, "I’m not sure that's how it works. You see, the story continues with a few brave ponies trying to venture into the rift and come back right away,” he pauses for suspense, “…And they were never heard from again!" "Spike's right.” Twilight puts the chalk down and shrugs off Spike’s dramatics. “You can't just go back to where you were before. Besides, it could've drifted somewhere else by now and we'll never know where until either somepony else disappears or somepony new shows up." Applesauce visibly slumps, his forelegs stretched out on the table. “Can’t I at least try?” Starlight comforts Applesauce by holding his hoof, "Hey, at least you’re in another version of Equestria and not some other place.” She pulls out a folder and picks up the old census Windy found yesterday. “I stopped by town hall last night and did a little research on our missing wizard. His name is in fact Shimmering Dust and his description matches your photos. Twilight, do you remember anything else about him?" “...to Limb- Hmm? Who?” Twilight has already flipped the board over and filled it with more illustrations. “The local wizard, Shimmering Dust.” Twilight takes a moment to think. "He was always keeping to himself, so I never spent much time with him. Now that I think about it, I don't remember ever seeing any family living with him." Starlight passes the census to Twilight, “Here, take a look at this.” Twilight grabs the census from Starlight and sets it next to another open book on the table. She runs a hoof down columns of names, “Shimmering Dust, Shimmering Dust, Shimmering Dust...” Spike shoves a pile of books over and climbs them, "What are you looking for, Twilight?" Twilight turns a page, "I'm trying to see if Applesauce shows up as part of Shimmering Dust’s family." She pages through the book and finds Applesauce's alleged father. "Hmm... Just as I thought. It says Shimmering Dust was neither married nor had any foals to speak of." "Do Big Mac, Applejack, an’ Applebloom got a big sis? Maybe one who ran away or somethin’? Look for ‘Apple Turnover.’" Applesauce plays with one of the collars on his robe. Windy pulls the book closer and flips back to the front of the book, much closer to “Apple.” Twilight looks at Windy’s page under Bright Mac and Buttercup’s foals. "Hmm, Doesn't seem like it. I think Windy is the only pony you know from your Equestria with a counterpart here." "He certainly seemed to know the Apples," Windy volunteers. "And the other Crusaders,” Applesauce adds, “B‘sides, the whole lay of town looks the same. In fact I’ve yet to see anypony strange in town." Twilight’s eyes fill with compassion, "That's the thing about alternate dimensions! There’s always going to be something different, no matter how big or small. In this case, it would seem like the only difference is your mother not existing and, by extension, you and anything your father would have done after he met her. For me, Spike, Starlight, and everypony else, everything seems normal. But, to you, certain things may seem different. I’m so sorry. "I need to write a letter to Princess Celestia. She might know something about this rift that wasn’t in the royal library. In the meantime, we will take care of you until we get things sorted out." *** Two days pass from the moment Applesauce arrives in this alternate reality. Some of the other townsponies wonder why Applesauce is wearing the robe of the missing wizard or how he came to Ponyville in the first place. A few even begin to gossip that Applesauce is somehow connected to Shimmering Dust's disappearance.  Back at Windy’s home, any conversations involving personal stories are alarmingly single-sided as Applesauce seems to already know everything there is to know about most of the family. Windy tries to make a game of it by offering him a treat when he can spot ten differences. ***  Dasher enters the bedroom he now has to share with an air mattress and a writing desk the rest of his family picked up from Mr. Davenport’s Quill and Sofa store. Of course they would have a special deal on “quill accessories” yesterday. He sulkily and ashamedly asks his roommate, “Hey Applesauce, want to go play something?” Applesauce loses his concentration while trying to pick up a fourth bit. The coins fall harmlessly to the floor. “I reckon I could use a break. Wanna go see if we can start a game a water tag or somethin’?” “Sounds as good as anything.” Applesauce and Dasher run outside to play. Spring Sparrow and Tender Taps join in for an hour or two before they wander off and join a growing crowd of ponies. The colts gallop up to the wall of bodies. Windy spots them and opens one of her broad, purple wings to provide a small gap.  Royal guards shove the crowd back with their spears as more guards march through the square. Three strong guards come into view pulling a cart with a prisoner’s cage. “Who is that?” Windy whispers to the closest guard. One of the guards holding ponies back whispers back to Windy, “Some weird lookin’ creature we found unconscious in the Everfree Forest. We loaded it up and we’re sending it over to Canterlot.” Windy, Applesauce, and Dasher get a glimpse of the creature as the cage passes. Inside, they see what looks like a huge, deformed Earth Pony laying on the floor, dressed in some odd clothes. The cage passes, and a covered wagon follows behind. “Why not leave it in the forest? It don’ look as dangerous as one of ‘em timberwolves. ‘Sides, they usually leave us alone!” The guard ignores the torrent of questions both Applesauce and the other ponies ask, leaving the crowd to speculate as they go their separate ways and the convoy makes its way to the train station. “That creature spells the end of the world!” “It was clearly attacked when it went where it didn’t belong.” “I told you they’re real.” “I’ll bet ya a thousand bits it’s connected to that one colt wandering town the last two days.” Applesauce elbows Dasher, “Ya don’t suppose Zecora can get us an ID on that thing, now do ya?” Dasher shrugs, “Kid, if they thought they could’a, I think they would’a.” “Dasher,” Windy pulls her brother aside. “Go get Princess Twilight and tell her about all of this. If she hasn’t heard already, I think she’ll want to be there when this… this thing wakes up.” Dasher fires back a needling look before hopping up above the remaining crowd and flying off. With Dasher gone, Applesauce focuses his youthful energy on Windy. “I wanna go ask Zecora about this thing. Can ya take me? Please?” “Not right now. I have an errand or two to run.” Windy spreads her wings high and wide. “Go to my family’s garden. I’ll meet you there.” She pushes a hoof in Applesauce’s direction. “Back up now.” “Where ya’ goin?” “To fetch a rain cloud.” Windy waits until she has enough clearance for take off before she thrusts her wings downward. A powerful gust of wind lifts her off the ground, sending a large ring of dust rising up around her. Applesauce walks back to Windy’s house, practicing his triple levitation techniques along the way. *** From aloft, the puddle at the bottom of the Ponyville water reservoir looks plenty small, but sufficient to water a garden. Windy angels her wings and dives into a spiral, pulling up just above the water. She gracefully banks, pulling herself into a tight circle. A miniature tornado forms, flinging drops of water into the air above. After about two minutes of precision flight, Windy lifts her nose and glides upwards, out of the reservoir. The dispersal of the tornado creates an updraft, and a newly formed rain cloud rises up along with it. Windy smiles and pushes it home. As she arrives, Windy spies Applesauce with five pebbles gently circling his head. He puts them down one at a time. “You’re getting better every day.” Windy positions the cloud over the vegetable garden. “Now we need to pull up all the weeds. Think you can do that with your horn?” “Oh, sure. I can do that no sweat!” Applesauce wraps a weed tightly around his horn, plants his hooves on either side of the weed, and yanks. A few roots snap, but he gets a lot of the big ones. “I meant with your magic, Silly.” Windy gently sets the cloud to the side and settles in to observe. “You should probably also take your robe off and leave it inside.” Applesauce looks up at Windy, “I don' know… It’s kinda like a long hug from Dad until get back home an’ see ‘im again.” “You wouldn’t want to get your precious heirloom dirty, now would you?” Applesauce blushes and vanishes in a puff of dust. The sound of little hooves at maximum speed fills the house. The colt reappears sans robe. He tosses a notched bit in the air and stuffs it away. Windy scans the garden, “I say you should start with… that one,” she points to a small, young weed with the shadow of her wingtip. “Remember, use your magic this time.” Applesauce’s elongated horn sparks to life as he concentrates on the weed. It starts glowing, and the stem breaks. Applesauce loses control and launches the weed straight into the rain cloud. It falls down again without effect. “Try again. Same weed; go for the roots this time.” Applesauce squints as he looks back up at Windy. He holds a hoof up to protect his eyes from the sun. “But I can’t see the roots!” “So?” Figuring he might as well humor her, Applesauce tries again. He focuses on the weed, and imagines he’s back home at his basement home study room doing one of Dad’s magic drills. “Reach out… feel the coi-... weed… lift!” With a burst of energy, he launches the dirt from around the roots in all directions. Applesauce and Windy flinch. When they open their eyes, a clean root system is poking its side out of a hole in the ground, still mostly intertwined with other roots dodging in and out from the sides of the hole. Windy dismounts the cloud and glides down to inspect the hole, weed still inside somehow. “Uh, I think you got the wrong weed.” She lifts the head of the targeted plant with her hoof. “I think this was going to be one of my mom’s flowers.” Applesauce’s heart almost stops. “A- ah’m s-sorry! Real sorry! Here, I’ll fix it.” His hooves scramble as he starts trying to gather clumps of dirt. “I-I’ll fix it!” “That’s it. Pack the dirt back in.” As Applesauce starts to backfill the poor, exposed plant, Windy grabs it, bites off the top half, and starts munching. Applesauce’s jaw drops. “I thought ya said that flower ‘as for your Ma.” Windy swallows and licks her lips. “Yeah? She always gets the best ones. Don’t worry. There are plenty more if you want one, thought I’d be choosy. This one isn’t quite ripe.” Applesauce looks around and selects a flower. “Reach out… Feel the roots...” He gingerly untangles each of its roots from the ground as he extracts it. Windy swallows and nods approvingly. “Much better.” She finishes her snack down to the roots and sets it on the bricks bordering the garden. Applesauce turns the flower on its side and tries to nibble it, missing it on his first try, but shoving the whole thing in his mouth on his second. He almost chokes. “Chubby Bunny." He bites the roots off, chews, and swallows. Windy giggles slightly. “OK now. Back to work. You can start with the one you tried before.” She stands up and begins pulling out real weeds with her teeth and setting them in a pile with the flower roots. By the time the gardening is done, Applesauce has gotten the hang of magically uprooting one weed at a time as long as he’s careful. Eventually, he asks, “Hey, Windy, shouldn’t Dasher be long back from getting Twilight by now?”